#the doodle tax for a wall of tags

[pbnmj]

[tenebrare]

Hellraiser - "Future Brain" (Kirsty and Elliot)

Sometimes two artists do get similar ideas at same time. Then the "dibs" go to the one, who posted it 1st. @angelqueen13art beat me to it, but said I should finish mine and post this anyway. Here goes. I am not as classy nor cute as angelqueen13art was though. Originally had Elly with all his pins and all, but changed my mind later on. However I have some serious questions about their relationship, like : In mornings, when Elly is shaving, does he like go like "pins on" like some super heroes say, "flames on" before he goes to work ? When they do renovations in their new home, do they need to buy the nails or are those free ? Do they use Lament Configuration as disco ball/lighting during house parties ? How much does it cost to fix the walls, when Elly accidentally uses chains indoors ? Does he like need to feed the chains like dogs and does he keep them in backyard ? When Elly gets drunk does he mistarget the chains... indoors... again? How do Spencers fill their tax forms ? Also does Elly work 9 to 5 or 5 to 9 ? Or is he on call like some sort of taxi from hell ? Does Kirsty pay the rent/bank loan since Ellys pay might be irregular depending from incoming calls ? Also very important - would Elly bring work home? Would there be dispute between the two about Elly bringing work home again? Does he use hell-"magic" at home to switch TV channels to annoy Kirsty, when she has the remote? So many questions, so little answers. However I know what car he drives to go to work - Range Rover! ----- While in my coming doodle project Kirsty appears only on film-references and "memory sequences", wanted to use her in a 'mood doodle' instead the original character I have in my story. "Future Brain" ... is a reference to a remix of song which would run on end credits if I'd make a Hellraiser film.

Also stole all the # tags from Angelqueen's work. :P Sorry (not sorry) . Hope you all have a nice week-end.

[philliamwrites]

killing me softly with his song | (Childe / Reader) [chpt.02]

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Pairing: Childe / Reader

Tags: #fem!reader, #from childhood friends to lovers, #reader is a fatui agent, #slow burn, #unresolved sexual tension, #mature language, #forbidden love

Words: 3.5k

Summary: "Lybuov zla, polyubish i kozla,“ sighs your sister as she wipes off the table, but that makes you feel even more miserable. Falling for a goat might save you from an actual heartbreak by Tartaglia’s hands.

Notes: Part 1

Masterlist

Chapter 2

At the barracks’ canteen reigns the unspoken rule that no one is allowed to cook borsch, and trying to do so is punished by cleaning all windows with cold water only in the middle of the night. Can’t see anything because the nights at the outskirts of Zapolyarny are blacker than out in the taiga? Tough luck. There are so many different recipes as there are families out there, and everyone has their very own way to make it. Fatui agents have brought each other to the hospital wing over fighting which recipe is the best, therefore a couple of years before Tartaglia and you enrolled, this rule was established.

Sitting out in the cold of Jaroslawk at four in the morning, you’d kill for a hot bowl of your mamochka’s borsch—the best in Morepesok even though Tartaglia begs to differ, but the only problem with his claim is that he is fucking wrong.

Through your binoculars you see everything is quiet and dark on the other side of the compound, which is a good sign. Unfortunately, good also means very boring. You’ve been lying in the exact same position for nearly three hours now: on your belly, elbows slightly propping your upper body to see the Baron’s estate that’s embraced by a forest like a mother cradling its child. Tales have it if you make even one little mistake inside those cold brick walls, Baron Igor would personally see to it that you don’t leave these woods alive and whatever his hellish guard dogs don’t finish eating up, his servants would send to your family as a small parting gift and warning to get as far and fast away as possible.

If only he were as thorough covering his tracks as he is scaring people, but Baron Igor has never really excelled at multiple things and now, months after the first little bird brought some interesting insight, you can’t wait for Baron Igor to finally slip and confirm the rumours about him selling information on one of Il Dottore’s gun research labs to a spy from Sumeru. Intel has it exchanges usually occur once every full moon and with the orb now hidden behind thick, black clouds, this is the last chance to get some evidence before the ship leaving to Sumeru carries whoever deserves a knife in their windpipe back to their God of Wisdom.

Baron Igor has messed up, got too arrogant, and now you and your team are here to make sure he eats up his mess. It wasn’t easy to infiltrate his mansion. Mitsuki only passed because you took out two of the other contesters for one of the Baron’s favourite restaurants down in Nowobirsk. That man bows to greed and when introduced to the place’s new maître d’hôtel—the best of his kind, the most exotic to own during their flimsy ceasefire with Inazuma—Baron Igor acted swiftly and hired him. Mitsuki had gagged at those words while lieutenant Scaramouche had shown the patience of a man barely holding himself back from violence. Two days later, Mitsuki took his position as spy and head waiter of the Baron’s personal restaurant taking up the whole second floor in the right wing of his stone mansion.

“Fuck me, I look like a penguin,” Mitsuki had said on the night before his work began at the estate, glaring at himself in the mirror dressed in a sharply tailored tuxedo.

“Then we know who to call if Baron Igor decides to open a zoo,” Mikhail had said, but he was in no hurry to turn away his appreciative gaze from how tight Mitsuki’s black pants tugged his slim legs and ass.

That’s the team, Mitsuki, you and Mikhail—Lock, Shock and Barrel, one of your fellow division’s comrade likes to call you for unknown reasons, simply laughing to himself and shaking his head as if trying to get rid of a good memory. Though for all that Scaramouche is concerned, to him you’re triple double and a clusterfuck he doesn’t want anywhere near him or so help him Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, he’ll stake your heads and scatter your remains to the seagulls terrorising the coast of Port Odessa.

“He loves us,” Mikhail likes to joke, even though you aren’t sure the words love and Scaramouche should be used in one sentence.

“One day, he’ll kill one of us with his bear hands and feel nothing,” Mitsuki commonly remarks, sounding like whatever you’d do to receive such a punishment is probably ghastly enough to justify being murdered.

“His hat is pretty neat,” is usually your only contribution and they both look at you as if you’re crazy.

“Any movement?” a voice asks from your right. Mikhail shakes still fresh snow from his head and shoulders as he dugs under the narrow doorway, looking like a puppy trying to shake itself dry. Now that a year has passed since a Geo Vision user crushed his right arm and healers had to amputate it to save his life, he’s adapted pretty well to only one arm and hand at his disposal. He’s balancing a cup in his palm while holding two paper bags with his fingers and somehow makes it look easy. He rejoins you at the window, carefully placing the steaming cup and one bag in front of you. You hand him your binoculars so he can see for himself, and inspect your breakfast. “Do I even want to know where you found,” you peak inside the bag, “pirozhky at a time like this?”

“Couple of blocks down there’s this place. Really nice lady, gave me one for free and added a little extra to our coffee.”

You take a sip, and instantly begin coughing and pounding your chest as it goes down burning. “Archons, that’s disgusting. Who in their right mind puts Fire-Water in their coffee?”

“I know, right?” Mikhail beams. “It’s genius.”

It’s ghastly. You take another sip. Horrible, really. But it keeps you warm and awake. So maybe it isn’t that bad at all.

While Mikhail observes the area, you dig into your beef and onion pirozhky. There’s nothing fun about pulling an all-nighter but sometimes sharing a cup of coffee and eating warm food helps to get through them. Also knowing someone suffers with you. Sharing pain is gain, after all.

“Well, they sure like taking their sweet time,” Mikhail mumbles, getting a little more comfortable on the cold stone ground. He puts the binoculars away and digs into his own food. “What are we gonna do if nothing happens today?”

“Then we’ll come back next month and do it all over again.” Hopefully you don’t have to. Fyrva’snezh was two weeks ago but this winter started off particularly brutal. Two out of three units are still missing from their outskirts training and you don’t want to be in the poor lasses’ and lads’ shoes who are still at the infirmary recovering from severe hypothermia. “What worries me more is that Mitsuki might lose his sanity if he stays there another whole month.”

“Well, what doesn’t kill him makes him stronger,” Mikhail says, wiping his greasy fingers off his pants. “I just want to wipe that smug smirk off the Baron’s pig face.”

He and probably every citizen populating Jaroslawk. “Once Mitsuki locates the communication point, we’ll go in and neutralise the target if we can’t catch him alive,” you say. “Baron Igor will try and weasel his way out of it but so far all evidence stands against him. The rest is up to Her Majesty.” And the Tsaritsa is known for many things, but mercy isn’t one of them. That will show anyone else trying to make business behind her back.

“Do you really think Mitsuki will endure another month in that stupidly tight uniform?” Mikhail sounds like he very much wished for another month out in the cold like this if it meant Mitsuki would bless him for a while longer wearing his uniform.

You stretch your leg and kick him in his shin. “Don’t jinx this, Nozhyalensky,” you say. “No matter how good his ass looks in those pants, it isn’t worth freezing your own ass off out in this cold. If we have to extend our mission, I’m going to steal your coat and own it for the whole time.”

“You don’t care if I freeze to death?”

“I really don’t.”

He puts his hand on his heart in mock despair. “That’s harsh.”

It would be his own fault, no hard feelings. You sit in silence, sharing your scalding hot coffee. In the mansion on the other side, a light flickers on in the east wing. Mikhail shifts and makes a disgusted grunt. “I did not want to know the Baron is banging the Duchess of Pavlovich.”

“Might be good leverage in the future.” You quickly dot it down in your notebook, squinting at the barely illuminated page. “Especially if the Duke refuses to pay his taxes again. I’m sure we can get to him through her.”

More minutes pass in silence. Mikhail continues his watch while you start to mindlessly doodle a little Foul Legacy Child in the corner of your page. You wonder what time it is in Liyue. Is Childe also out on a mission or tugged in and sleeping well in a land that knows nothing of harsh winds and freezing nights. Does he spare a thought of home? Is he missing you as much as you miss him or has he already filled the gnawing void with faceless, warm women that comfort him at night?

“Heard anything from our comrades in Liyue?” Mikhail asks nonchalantly, but he’s always been the poorest liar of you three and it’s pretty obvious where this conversation is going. Part of you hungers for that conflict.

“They still can’t find whoever killed the Geo Archon. But Lord Childe might have located the Gnosis and has begun his infiltration.”

Chances are good he might succeed in another month or so, though from the letters you’ve received so far, it sounds like he might succeed fucking the consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor before that. Tartaglia has never started anything serious with guys before, safe from occasionally drunk making outs, but new cultures could change a lot in you and it’s Tartaglia’s first time staying for so long in Liyue and meeting a man like this so called Zhongli.

Mikhail clicks his tongue in disgust. “I can’t believe this guy is over there for three months already and is still nowhere near finishing the job.” He spits at the ground and twists his mouth in a very familiar manner of annoyance—only usually this expression is meant for initiate Fatui members who can’t tell a shotgun from a sniper rifle.

“How can you still be mad at him for handing you your ass three years ago,” you say. A man’s ego is such a frail thing, thank the Tsaritsa for being a strong, independent woman.

“This isn’t about that stupid fight,” Mikhail splutters, red blotches creeping up his neck. His inability to lie is abysmal. “I don’t get how you stand that guy. His arrogance needs its own giant room to fit inside. Someone needs to knock him down a peg or two and maybe beat out this need to whore around as well—”

You move in a flash. Mikhail doesn’t have any time to react before he finds himself on his back, pinned down by your weight with a knife to his throat. “Mikhail, I love you like my own kin and you know I’d take a bullet for you any time,” you growl. “But speak another filthy word about Childe and I will cut off your tongue and feed it to street dogs while watching you bleed out like a slaughtered pig. Are we clear?”

You feel Mikhail’s chest rising and falling under your spread hand, his body warm, proof of his life. How easy it would be to take it from him, to warm the cold, dirty ground with his blood.

Mikhail’s dark eyes don’t give away anything. He’s holding very still, like a cornered animal faced with its hunter; don’t move and maybe it thinks one is dead. Eventually, he says quietly, “If you could see what an unlikeable, unpleasant person he really is, maybe...” He doesn't finish. There is no need to. You know very well what point he’s trying to make.

“I don’t need your supervision,” you say. “Or your pity.”

Mikhail barks a loud, humourless laugh. “Lassie, if I had an ounce of pity left for anyone else than myself, I wouldn’t be very good at this job, would I?”

You shift your weight. Mikhail groans as you put pressure on a wound a Pyro Vision user inflicted on him a week ago that hasn’t fully healed yet—a favour for Mikhail to prevent him from following his train of thought. You don’t know what is worse: His unrequited love for Mitsuki or Tartaglia and you knowing what you both want but can’t have.

Mikhail quietly says your name and gently lowers your hand. The sharp knife has bit into his skin just enough to leave a fine, red line on his throat. “All I’m saying is, I am not the bad guy here.”

He is right, of course. But that makes it even worse, because without a bad guy, who could you put blame on? Who would be the target of your frustration and your scorn? Who would pay for countless sleepless nights wasted alone or in a stranger’s arms?

If there is no good, no bad side, no villains or heroes to put blame on, what does that leave for you? Just the law. It is hard, but it is the law.

There is no one but yourself who carries the burden. Even knowing Tartaglia goes through the same doesn’t soothe the pain steadily growing in your heart. You’re like two stars gravitating to each other, seeking the sweet collision to finally become one and create something bigger, the most exquisite light in the endless black galaxy, but whenever you manage to come close to each other, other forces pull you apart.

You shift your position from towering above him to slumping back on Mikhail’s lap, your anger deflated like a balloon.

“Arguing with you is no fun,” you mumble, sheathing the knife back in its place inside your boot.

Mikhail arches one dark brow. “Learnt from the best. You don’t want to get into an argument with my mama.”

“Are you two leaving me out from a team bonding session?” comes a static voice from your left.

“Darling, we would never leave you out from a potential threesome,” Mikhail says back, a wicked grin flirting with his mouth.

“Blergh,” you groan in disgust and roll off him, grabbing for the plastic piece from where Mitsuki’s voice has sounded; Il Dottore’s newest invention, a voice transmitter agents use for long distance communication.

“So, how’s it cooking, good looking?” Mikhail asks, ignoring your eyes rolling back. “Anything new at the front?”

Mitsuki is silent for a moment. Somewhere, a dog barks. “I think someone might have tipped the Baron off.”

Immediately, you feel Mikhail's body tense next to you. “Do you need us to come in?”

Oppressive silence fills the room. Mikhail jerks, but before he can jump to rash actions, you grab his arm hard enough to bruise. He freezes, and you both stare at the voice transmitter in Mikhail’s hand.

A moment later, static crackles, and Mitsuki says, “I received a note on the caviar shipment. Roads are all clear, it should come in around seven in the morning.”

Mikhail relaxes, but a sweat bead rolls from his temple and disappears behind his black turtle neck sweater. He sags against you, exhaling very loudly.

A couple of years ago, after you three had been working together and hadn’t tried to kill each other as often as other teams, you guys had decided to come up with your own secret language for times like these. Mikhail had first complained about the hours put into learning it the most—the semantics always changing depending on what line of work you’d infiltrate—but eventually even he had agreed it was a pretty neat trick. What Mitsuki has said simply means all is in order and the mission is proceeding smoothly.

“Little fucker,” Mikhail grumbles, ruffling his own hair just to keep his hand busy. You agree. It feels like you’ve aged five years in those last five minutes.

That relief is short lived. A small explosion from the right wing inside the mansion lights up the night like a firework show. Mikhail is out of the window in a flash. You grab your rifle, keeping an eye on him as he crosses the street in a flash and climbs over the iron gate.

Two shadows tumble through the hole in the second floor. You sway your scope, laying eyes on Mitsuki as he wrestles with a cloaked figure. Purple sparks fly, clashing with crimson flames that rise skyward and turn into black smoke. At least something is according to plan even though your Cryo Vision would be more effective.

You watch them fight for a moment, unable to get a clear shot as both are short distance fighters. Mitsuki moves quicker than a flash, whirling two hatches over his head, parrying a deathly bow from the Sumeru’s Claymore. Mitsuki is smaller than most of his comrades. People like to underestimate him, but that’s part of the fun, according to him. Proving people wrong. He dodges another swift strike, rolling out of the way and giving you a clear sight at your target. But over his shoulder, Mitsuki catches your eyes and gives the tiniest shake of his head. Not yet.

You wish he could see the stingy eye you’re giving him right now. You’ve waited long enough out in this cold and your whole body shakes with the need to move, the need to fight. A quick look to Mikhail shows he’s fending off two of the Baron’s guards himself. Luckily, they can’t really hold their stand against a fully trained Fatui agent. He quickly takes out his opponents, closing in on Mitsuki and the Sumeru agent. Mitsuki has driven him to the edge of the forest. So that’s his plan. You wait until the spy is right beneath a long, thick branch, then pull the trigger. The shot is muffled by the silencer, slicing through the air with infused Cryo power. It hits its target, cutting the branch off. The Sumeru spy is too slow. When the branch buries him under its weight, Mikhail finally catches up to Mitsuki, and through your scope you can see him patting Mitsuki down for injuries. Mitsuki pushes him away, not hard or in a mean way, just enough to signal this isn’t the time. The job isn’t done yet.

Mitsuki advances the spy and kneels, looking for signs of life. He looks up, his dark eyes searching your scope. He holds your gaze, picking up his voice transmitter.

“I have good and bad news,” he says. “The spy is still alive, so we’ll get our answers. But now I’m pretty sure the Baron knows what’s going on.”

“Then don’t just stand there, someone go after him, quick!” you yell in your transmitter.

Before Mikhail dashes off, you hear him curse. “Lord Scaramouche is going to kill us.”

He will, considered this was supposed to undergo without the Baron noticing anything.

* * *

Dear little tygress,

forgive my horrible handwriting. I am still shaking from all the laughter your last letter gave me. Zhongli-xiansheng was actually worried for my wellbeing because I had choked on air and almost died. I swear, you will kill me one day, little tygress.

Speaking of little and potential lethal beasts, I’m surprised Scaramouche didn’t use your head as a toilet plunger. I really do think he's fond of you, little tygress. Any other team would be six feet under by now. You have to tell me your secret once I’m back. Scaramouche still doesn’t know I broke his favourite, ugly cup with the bear on the front from Fontaine, and I want to be prepared once he knows.

Everything is the same in Liyue, and at the same time, everything is changing. Rex Lapis’ murder is still unsolved, and I do enjoy watching the little traveller boy run around looking for answers. Once I return with the Geo Archon’s gnosis, dinner will be on me.

How are things at home? I hope Tonia hasn’t finished all mooncakes by herself again and saved some for the rest of the bunch. I can’t bear to hear Anthon cry again about me only sending sweets to Tonia and Teucer. Has the old man gotten in touch with you? He still doesn’t reply to me, but mama says he’s reading the letters. Maybe a bottle of Liyue’s Baijiu will loose his tongue, or hand for that matter. It’s almost as good as Fire-Water, promise.

Till next time and don’t get too much on little ‘Mouche’s nerves, otherwise there will be no room left for me.

Yours, Red Fox

__________________________________________________

please drop by my ko-fi if you enjoyed my writing!

[jeramymobley]

5 Creative Communities That Can Help You Level Up Your Skills

Fertilizer is to plants what community is to creative professionals. With enough time, water, and sunlight, they grow themselves. But sprinkle on some peer feedback and support, and they grow faster and bigger than ever. Not long ago, finding that community was no easy task. To spot one that specialized in your medium, you had to check the paper, pick up fliers, and haunt the local library. Now, it’s as easy as pulling up your internet browser. Most online creative communities are medium-specific. Join as many as you can that align with your work and interests, and you’ll see your personal brand take on a new sparkle.

Skill-Building Creative Communities

There’s not a single personal brand that can’t be helped by boosted skills — and not a single one can be hurt by bringing stronger processes and craft to the table. Here are a few to consider as you build your skill set and portfolio:

1. ViewBug

Instagram may be having its moment in the sun, but the social image site isn’t necessarily the best community for serious creatives. Not only are many of its posts intended to impress friends rather than push artistic boundaries, but most users are there to follow their favorite influencers rather than give photographers feedback. Classes, contests, and photography challenges make ViewBug a more constructive photo community. Much like Instagram, ViewBug’s more than 2 million members “like” and comment on each others’ photos. Unlike Instagram, however, ViewBug users typically post details about their camera, the time when the photo was shot, and settings like focal length. By adding tags, such as “night” or “transportation,” they can see how it compares to shots of similar subjects. 

2. Doodle Addicts

If drawing is more to you than a way to kill time in meetings, check out Doodle Addicts. Featuring illustrations done with pen, pencil, charcoal, and paint, Doodle Addicts welcomes an enormous range of art styles. Some canvases are as small as Post-it notes, while others cover whole walls. Although its community is smaller than ViewBug’s, at 25,000 individuals, it does provide users many of the same features. Artists on Doodle Addicts can “like” and comment on each others’ work. They can use tags like “urban sketching” to see how others approach similar spaces and styles. Also like ViewBug, Doodle Addicts has a “Learn” section, which features tips on techniques and monetization. Doodle Addicts spotlights leading artists, but it invites everyone to participate in challenges in which winners receive gift cards or art supplies.

3. Dribble

Freelance opportunities for graphic designers are everywhere, but sites like 99designs are more about doing work for brands than actually building skills. Especially if you’re just getting started as a digital artist, check out Dribble. The platform does have “Designers” and “Jobs” sections, which help brands and artists find each other, but the heart of the site is its “Shots” page. Dribble claims that tens of millions of people view the site, though it’s not clear how many are actually members. Dribble also hosts meetups in major metro areas, which are great networking opportunities. Best of all, Dribble has a huge selection of discounts and deals. Designers can get everything from free business cards to automatic self-employment tax withholding.

4. Absolute Write

Although it doesn’t have the most beautiful interface, Absolute Write doesn’t need one. The site features a “Water Cooler” section with stories from more than 68,000 members. Content runs the gamut in terms of genre, from sci-fi to historical nonfiction, as well as length. Some posts qualify as flash fiction, while others approach the length of a novel. One of Absolute Write’s best features is its interviews with professional writers. It recently published an interview with Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones, and another with Suzanne Palmer, who wrote the Hugo Award-winning novelette The Secret Life of Bots. For those new to the industry, Absolute Write provides tips for navigating the publishing industry, writing exercises, and Q&As with freelance writers.

5. Filmmaker Forum

For the same reason Instagram shouldn’t be photographers’ go-to creative community, YouTube isn’t necessarily the best place for budding videographers. Although it might be the go-to site for posting and viewing others’ videos, YouTube comments can be downright toxic. Rarely do they provide meaningful feedback on elements like lighting, perspective, or acting. 

Although Filmmaker Forum’s “Articles” section isn’t particularly active, its actual forums have threads with hundreds and thousands of posts. Participants can get legal advice, chat about indie films, develop editing skills, and discuss distribution. Because Filmmaker Forum doesn’t actually host videos, users have to look elsewhere for feedback on their content specifically. 

Whatever your artistic medium, the internet has a home for you. Contribute regularly, make connections, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Online or not, that’s how creatives go from good to great.

The post 5 Creative Communities That Can Help You Level Up Your Skills appeared first on Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career.

[brella]

number one jobros fan @yukikoamagi did a “tag” on me so here we are. i’ll tag @jostenneil, @caseyballvins, @fireonallwires, @myvisagewasted, @traincat​, annnnnnnd @audikatia. oops that’s six. 

5 things you’ll find in my bag:

my totally not-me burberry wallet that a college friend gave me way back when that i had to start using after my flash wallet broke and that i really should get rid of because it’s not to my tastes at all and makes me look rich

little memo pad i write down sleepers things in

hand mirror my french host sister got me as a souvenir when she went to spain

ancient pack of juicyfruit gum that has been in my possession since time immemorial

lots of crumpled up receipts and scrap paper with doodles on them

5 things you’ll find in my bedroom:

my boyfriend, idk he’s probably around there somewhere since we share

my brand spanking new nintendo switch that i saved and saved for, and that i still have yet to name

tons of books i impulse bought at work that are like, laying horizontally on top of all the other books on my shelf

my litten plushie

wall to wall prints from fanime and nycc

5 things I’m currently into:

yu yu hakusho ofc

the legend of zelda: breath of the wild, a work of art for all times; especially the sand seals in the legend of zelda: breath of the wild

hem’s rabbit songs album

boku no hero academia, still. season 2! so soon! the fight that launched a thousand ships in glorious HD! altho tbh i’m more excited to see uraraka vs. bakugou in HD because my daughtre is an unstoppable force of nature

asian kung fu generation, still. the re-recording of sol-fa is so good! thanks 4 catering to me, band who never ever tours in the united states!

5 things on my to-do list:

my state tax return, oops, gotta get that squared away

applying to some better jobs where i will not feel like the World’s Most Worthless Person day after day (step two is probably getting hired but like i’m giving myself some room)

shrine hunting in breath of the wild even though i already accidentally beat ganon at my boyfriend’s behest. some of kass’s puzzles are too advanced for my zelda baby brain

exchange this eyebrow pencil sephora sent me in the wrong color for the proper color so i do not look like some idiot with brown hair and bright red eyebrows whenever i want to make myself look presentable

start young justice season 2 with zach and shawn, INHUMANLY LONG SIGH

5 things people may not know about me:

i was born with a cleft palate that gave me a pretty darn noticeable speech impediment for many years. several years of speech therapy honed it away by the beginning of high school, but i will still sometimes slip into it when talking excitedly or angrily about something. due to that cleft palate i have ALSO had a very large number of dental surgeries. 

i used to be a massively picky eater but now just about the only things i don’t like are coconuts and sweet potatoes. anything else can basically be salvaged with the hearty application of black pepper. (lol sorry francia this Gwen Fact was definitely inspired by some of yours)

my appendix has been scooped on out of me and sent away into whatever massive garbage chute they send that stuff. some of you may know this because you lived through these exciting times with me, but for those of you who don’t: now you do. appendicitis ain’t fun, my pals. but it sure makes for a good story. (and if you ever want to hear the story: it is hilarious.)

perhaps the easiest task you could ever undertake in your life would be getting me to cry. i’ll do it at anything. nearly all movies, some songs, the fleeting sentimental memory that i have known my best friends for a long time and they are kind of nice to me sometimes, the sight of a cat yawning, a single piano note being played in any anime ever, someone yelling at me, someone hugging me. don’t know how to react to something? cry. do know how to react to something? do that, but preferably throw in some crying for brand fulfillment. (most of my close friends and family know this; most acquaintances don’t.) takes me months to cry over the big things, though. 

when i was about six years old i was sought out by some kids’ talent agency that wanted to make me move to LA and like, do stuff. i was 6; i don’t remember the specifics; i only cared about pokemon and the iron giant. i do remember going to some meeting in a fancy office in san francisco, though, with my mom and dad, and talking to some guy in a fancy suit who asked me to sing something for him so i sang the pokemon theme song because that was, as i said, the only thing i cared about (besides the iron giant, which did not have many songs). bafflingly, they still wanted me even after that, probably for my perfect hair and cute face, but i said, nah, don’t want to, LA is too far away and i don’t want to leave home. so i didn’t. 

[jadegreenworks]

Meme Thing A - Z

Tagged by @hotsauce418​, my favorite possum. Ty, darling!

A - AGE: 39 (but 40 this year! Finally the lies I’ve been telling for years will become truth!) B - BIGGEST FEAR: Farting in front of a celebrity. Seriously, how super suck is that shit right there? C - CURRENT TIME: 6:26 p.m. CST D - DRINK YOU HAD LAST: Tea (iced. please don’t kill me) E - EVERY DAY STARTS WITH: Screaming cats, screaming chickens, doodling roosters, and a thirty minute bike ride F - FAVORITE SONG: Siren G - GHOSTS, ARE THEY REAL: Yup. My nana was born with a veil on her face and they really drove my sister up a wall. Luckily, I am a psychic null so they bugger off around me. We took advantage of that a lot as kids. H - HOMETOWN: Southern Illinois. And yes, there is a distinct difference. I - IN LOVE WITH: my sense of outrage J - JEALOUS OF: people who achieve things without effort. I mean, come the fuck on! Some of us are grinding our asses off over here! K - KILLED SOMEONE: I was in the military so I can legally plead the fifth. L - LAST TIME YOU CRIED: Fucking watching Mr. Selfridge ffs! Must be moody M - MIDDLE NAME: Lee N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 1 full, 1 half (we don’t talk) O - ONE WISH: Success P - PERSON YOU LAST CALLED/TEXTED: mom Q - QUESTIONS YOU’RE ALWAYS ASKED: “Are you nervous about something?”

No. I’m not. Other people have resting bitch face. I have RESTING ANXIETY FACE.

R - REASONS TO SMILE: My Fannibal family, my enraged rabbit, Boris, and my sewing machine S - SONG LAST SANG: Oh What a Dream - Ruth Brown

T - TIME YOU WOKE UP: 5:10 am (thanks, kitties) U - UNDERWEAR COLOR: pink leopard! V - VACATION DESTINATION: Pffft, I work for peanuts and pay my taxes, I can cover my bills but not vacation! HA! W - WORST HABIT: Dissatisfaction. Nothing is ever enough. I pick apart everything, it’s awful! X - X-RAYS YOU’VE HAD: Pretty much everything at this point. Now here’s hoping the rest comes through. Y - YOUR FAVORITE FOOD: STUPID SPICY KIMCHI Z - ZODIAC SIGN: Cancer

[savetopnow]

2018-03-09 03 SEO now

SEO

Ahrefs Blog

Technical SEO Mastery: Lessons from the GOAT, Wikipedia

Here’s why you can’t blindly trust keyword search volume for traffic estimations

7 Timeless Internet Marketing Strategies That Work in 2018 (and Beyond)

How to Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag (Our 4-Step Process)

12 Best Podcasts to Master SEO and Stay Tuned

ClickZ

6 takeaways from the ClickZ Blockchain Marketing Forum

Selecting the right Customer Data Platform

Interview: How KOMPAS is using AI to improve city exploration

New Blockchain MarTech Landscape shows 400% growth in 6 months

How brands are leveraging the cryptocurrency hype

Local SEO guide

Who Is Next In Local Listings Management?

A NodeJS Script for Accessing the Google Search Console API

Why SEOs Will Always Have Jobs…

Are Local Businesses Ready For GÖÖber?

2018 Tax Planning for SEO Agencies & Consultants

Moz

The Website Migration Guide: SEO Strategy, Process, & Checklist

Declining Organic Traffic? How to Tell if it’s a Tracking or Optimization Issue

The #1 Reason Paid Ads (On Search, Social, and Display) Fail - Whiteboard Friday

How to Diagnose SEO Traffic Drops: 11 Questions to Answer

Google's Walled Garden: Are We Being Pushed Out of Our Own Digital Backyards?

Reddit SEO

Question on location targeting settings: should we turn it off?

How can Blog posts help local SEO for a restaurant ?

Can spammy links still rank Youtube videos?

Copying a blog post without a duplicate content penalty

Claiming ownership of YouTube channel without access to previous account holder info...what's the best way?

SEO Book Blog

Left is Right & Up is Down

Grist for the Machine

Virtual Real Estate

Rank Checker Update

DMOZ Shut Down

SEO by the Sea

Related Questions are Joined by ‘People Also Search For’ Refinements; Now Using a Question Graph

Google’s Mobile Location History

Does Google Use Latent Semantic Indexing?

Google Targeted Advertising, Part 1

Google Giving Less Weight to Reviews of Places You Stop Visiting?

Search Engine Journal

Searcher Task Accomplishment: How to Take a ‘Goal-First’ Approach by @impressiontalk

The Fifth AdWords Match Type: Phrase Match Modifier by @iansherk

The Role of AI and Automation in Paid Search [PODCAST]

Google: How to Get New Content Indexed Fast by @martinibuster

Top 7 Ranking Signals: What REALLY Matters in 2018? by @annaleacrowe

Search Engine Land

How to effectively report competitor spam

Google Lens comes to Android devices through the side door — Google Photos

SearchCap: Google AMP render on idle, spidering & Google doodle

International Women’s Day Google doodle honoring females around the world arrives a day early

Google AMP team launches ‘Render on Idle’ to load ads faster when browsers sit idle

Search Engine Roundtable

Search Community Is Heart Broken Over Matt Cutts Wife Passing Away

Google: Content Publishing Frequency Not A Ranking Signal

Google My Business Has Updated Local Photos Help Article

Three Index Count Metrics Explained In Google SEO Snippets Video

Kevin Indig - The Search Community Honors You

Search Engine Watch

ClickZ Buyers Guide | Bid management platform review: Kenshoo

IWD 2018: Eight SEO ladies give their advice on being a woman in search

The 2018 guide to B2B sales, Part 3: Using CRM data for lasting benefits

A forward-looking history of link building

Ranker: How to make a Google algorithm-proof website

Searchmetrics Blog

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How to Conduct a Content Audit in Five Easy Steps

Pulse: Challenges and Takeaways from the Google AMP Conference

Unwrapping the Secrets of SEO: Hey Google, Siri and Alexa, Who’s the Smartest Speaker in the Land?

SEO World Rankings 2018 – The Top Global Domains and Big Winners

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How Long Does Content Marketing Take – And Why That’s The Wrong Question

Yoast

Caroline’s Corner: Why should a blogger focus on SEO?

Yoast Diversity Fund

Let’s celebrate International Women’s Day!

The journey towards Yoast SEO 7.0

Which pages should I noindex or nofollow?

[i-eat-men-like-air]

Tagged by my darling @sevensneakyfoxes. My answers won’t be as entertaining as hers. <3

Rules: tag nine users you want to get to know better

How old are you?: 29, but I feel like a dinosaur. That one textpost that’s been floating around in which the OP snarls “I am ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD” at a college freshman is exactly my aesthetic. 

Current job/ Dream job?: My current job is my dream job: I’m a professional, full-time performing musician. For the past six years, I’ve performed with a folk-rock group called The Crane Wives. We’ve toured the US, opened for bands like The Avett Brothers, Lake Street Dive, Vulfpeck.... It’s a taxing career that requires lots of sacrifice, a TON of hard work, and learning how to squeak by by the skin of your teeth, but playing music sets my soul on fire and makes everything else in my world make sense, so it’s more than worth it. 

What are you talented at?: Comfortably eating as much pizza in one sitting as a man twice my size, debating about politics, harmonizing with the radio, falling in love with fictional characters, writing sad songs, drinking lava-hot coffee (though it wreaks havoc on my bladder). I also doodle sometimes. 

What is a big goal you are working towards (or have already achieved)?: Right now, my big career goal is to have a Tiny Desk Concert on NPR, but that’s a ways off. There are lots of hoops to jump through in the music industry before that falls into the realm of possibility. Aside from that, my biggest goal for 2017 is to stay healthy, which means taking care of myself both physically and mentally. 

What is your aesthetic?: A full moon, sharp teeth, hipster glasses, animal bones, loosely-laced combat boots, the smell of ginger beer, hollow-body guitars, crop tops with high-waisted shorts, smiling while crying, blue-grey smoke. 

Do you collect anything?: Old postcards, the kind you find at thrift stores with photos of really exotic places and really mundane messages on the back (Ex. ”Having a great time in Rome! Hope you and the kids are well, love Uncle Joe”). I also collect animal skulls:

What is a topic you are always up to talk about?: Social justice, intersectional feminism, diversity and positive minority representation in media, how the internet has affected the music industry, greek mythology, how Ross is the villain of Friends, how terrible my least favorite musicians are 

What’s a pet peeve of yours?: When people talk AT you instead of talking to you, bad handshakes, GUYS WHO KISS YOUR HAND WHEN YOU GO IN FOR A HANDSHAKE. STOP DOING THIS I WILL SMACK YOU IN THE MOUTH.

Good advice to give?: You are so much more than your weaknesses and your mistakes, so do not let them consume you. 

Recommend three songs?: HARDEST QUESTION.  715 Creeks - Bon Iver (“Love, a second glance / it is not something that we’ll need / Honey understand that I have been left here in the reeds / and all I’m trying to do is get my feet out from the crease.”)  Why We Build The Wall - Anais Mitchell (“The enemy is poverty, and the wall keeps out the enemy, and we build the wall to keep us free / That’s why we build the wall / We build the wall to keep us free.”) Oh Well - Fiona Apple (”What wasted unconditional love / for somebody who doesn’t believe in the stuff / oh well.”)

Tagging: @grootiepie @absentlyabbie @gaystepfordvampires @naomifranq @cymophanes @fartherfaster @lilacsilver @ma-bster @boombangbing @escape-to-nostalgia 

[joejstrickl]

5 Creative Communities That Can Help You Level Up Your Skills

Fertilizer is to plants what community is to creative professionals. With enough time, water, and sunlight, they grow themselves. But sprinkle on some peer feedback and support, and they grow faster and bigger than ever. Not long ago, finding that community was no easy task. To spot one that specialized in your medium, you had to check the paper, pick up fliers, and haunt the local library. Now, it’s as easy as pulling up your internet browser. Most online creative communities are medium-specific. Join as many as you can that align with your work and interests, and you’ll see your personal brand take on a new sparkle.

Skill-Building Creative Communities

There’s not a single personal brand that can’t be helped by boosted skills — and not a single one can be hurt by bringing stronger processes and craft to the table. Here are a few to consider as you build your skill set and portfolio:

1. ViewBug

Instagram may be having its moment in the sun, but the social image site isn’t necessarily the best community for serious creatives. Not only are many of its posts intended to impress friends rather than push artistic boundaries, but most users are there to follow their favorite influencers rather than give photographers feedback. Classes, contests, and photography challenges make ViewBug a more constructive photo community. Much like Instagram, ViewBug’s more than 2 million members “like” and comment on each others’ photos. Unlike Instagram, however, ViewBug users typically post details about their camera, the time when the photo was shot, and settings like focal length. By adding tags, such as “night” or “transportation,” they can see how it compares to shots of similar subjects. 

2. Doodle Addicts

If drawing is more to you than a way to kill time in meetings, check out Doodle Addicts. Featuring illustrations done with pen, pencil, charcoal, and paint, Doodle Addicts welcomes an enormous range of art styles. Some canvases are as small as Post-it notes, while others cover whole walls. Although its community is smaller than ViewBug’s, at 25,000 individuals, it does provide users many of the same features. Artists on Doodle Addicts can “like” and comment on each others’ work. They can use tags like “urban sketching” to see how others approach similar spaces and styles. Also like ViewBug, Doodle Addicts has a “Learn” section, which features tips on techniques and monetization. Doodle Addicts spotlights leading artists, but it invites everyone to participate in challenges in which winners receive gift cards or art supplies.

3. Dribble

Freelance opportunities for graphic designers are everywhere, but sites like 99designs are more about doing work for brands than actually building skills. Especially if you’re just getting started as a digital artist, check out Dribble. The platform does have “Designers” and “Jobs” sections, which help brands and artists find each other, but the heart of the site is its “Shots” page. Dribble claims that tens of millions of people view the site, though it’s not clear how many are actually members. Dribble also hosts meetups in major metro areas, which are great networking opportunities. Best of all, Dribble has a huge selection of discounts and deals. Designers can get everything from free business cards to automatic self-employment tax withholding.

4. Absolute Write

Although it doesn’t have the most beautiful interface, Absolute Write doesn’t need one. The site features a “Water Cooler” section with stories from more than 68,000 members. Content runs the gamut in terms of genre, from sci-fi to historical nonfiction, as well as length. Some posts qualify as flash fiction, while others approach the length of a novel. One of Absolute Write’s best features is its interviews with professional writers. It recently published an interview with Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones, and another with Suzanne Palmer, who wrote the Hugo Award-winning novelette The Secret Life of Bots. For those new to the industry, Absolute Write provides tips for navigating the publishing industry, writing exercises, and Q&As with freelance writers.

5. Filmmaker Forum

For the same reason Instagram shouldn’t be photographers’ go-to creative community, YouTube isn’t necessarily the best place for budding videographers. Although it might be the go-to site for posting and viewing others’ videos, YouTube comments can be downright toxic. Rarely do they provide meaningful feedback on elements like lighting, perspective, or acting. 

Although Filmmaker Forum’s “Articles” section isn’t particularly active, its actual forums have threads with hundreds and thousands of posts. Participants can get legal advice, chat about indie films, develop editing skills, and discuss distribution. Because Filmmaker Forum doesn’t actually host videos, users have to look elsewhere for feedback on their content specifically. 

Whatever your artistic medium, the internet has a home for you. Contribute regularly, make connections, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Online or not, that’s how creatives go from good to great.

The post 5 Creative Communities That Can Help You Level Up Your Skills appeared first on Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career.

[glenmenlow]

5 Creative Communities That Can Help You Level Up Your Skills

Fertilizer is to plants what community is to creative professionals. With enough time, water, and sunlight, they grow themselves. But sprinkle on some peer feedback and support, and they grow faster and bigger than ever. Not long ago, finding that community was no easy task. To spot one that specialized in your medium, you had to check the paper, pick up fliers, and haunt the local library. Now, it’s as easy as pulling up your internet browser. Most online creative communities are medium-specific. Join as many as you can that align with your work and interests, and you’ll see your personal brand take on a new sparkle.

Skill-Building Creative Communities

There’s not a single personal brand that can’t be helped by boosted skills — and not a single one can be hurt by bringing stronger processes and craft to the table. Here are a few to consider as you build your skill set and portfolio:

1. ViewBug

Instagram may be having its moment in the sun, but the social image site isn’t necessarily the best community for serious creatives. Not only are many of its posts intended to impress friends rather than push artistic boundaries, but most users are there to follow their favorite influencers rather than give photographers feedback. Classes, contests, and photography challenges make ViewBug a more constructive photo community. Much like Instagram, ViewBug’s more than 2 million members “like” and comment on each others’ photos. Unlike Instagram, however, ViewBug users typically post details about their camera, the time when the photo was shot, and settings like focal length. By adding tags, such as “night” or “transportation,” they can see how it compares to shots of similar subjects. 

2. Doodle Addicts

If drawing is more to you than a way to kill time in meetings, check out Doodle Addicts. Featuring illustrations done with pen, pencil, charcoal, and paint, Doodle Addicts welcomes an enormous range of art styles. Some canvases are as small as Post-it notes, while others cover whole walls. Although its community is smaller than ViewBug’s, at 25,000 individuals, it does provide users many of the same features. Artists on Doodle Addicts can “like” and comment on each others’ work. They can use tags like “urban sketching” to see how others approach similar spaces and styles. Also like ViewBug, Doodle Addicts has a “Learn” section, which features tips on techniques and monetization. Doodle Addicts spotlights leading artists, but it invites everyone to participate in challenges in which winners receive gift cards or art supplies.

3. Dribble

Freelance opportunities for graphic designers are everywhere, but sites like 99designs are more about doing work for brands than actually building skills. Especially if you’re just getting started as a digital artist, check out Dribble. The platform does have “Designers” and “Jobs” sections, which help brands and artists find each other, but the heart of the site is its “Shots” page. Dribble claims that tens of millions of people view the site, though it’s not clear how many are actually members. Dribble also hosts meetups in major metro areas, which are great networking opportunities. Best of all, Dribble has a huge selection of discounts and deals. Designers can get everything from free business cards to automatic self-employment tax withholding.

4. Absolute Write

Although it doesn’t have the most beautiful interface, Absolute Write doesn’t need one. The site features a “Water Cooler” section with stories from more than 68,000 members. Content runs the gamut in terms of genre, from sci-fi to historical nonfiction, as well as length. Some posts qualify as flash fiction, while others approach the length of a novel. One of Absolute Write’s best features is its interviews with professional writers. It recently published an interview with Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones, and another with Suzanne Palmer, who wrote the Hugo Award-winning novelette The Secret Life of Bots. For those new to the industry, Absolute Write provides tips for navigating the publishing industry, writing exercises, and Q&As with freelance writers.

5. Filmmaker Forum

For the same reason Instagram shouldn’t be photographers’ go-to creative community, YouTube isn’t necessarily the best place for budding videographers. Although it might be the go-to site for posting and viewing others’ videos, YouTube comments can be downright toxic. Rarely do they provide meaningful feedback on elements like lighting, perspective, or acting. 

Although Filmmaker Forum’s “Articles” section isn’t particularly active, its actual forums have threads with hundreds and thousands of posts. Participants can get legal advice, chat about indie films, develop editing skills, and discuss distribution. Because Filmmaker Forum doesn’t actually host videos, users have to look elsewhere for feedback on their content specifically. 

Whatever your artistic medium, the internet has a home for you. Contribute regularly, make connections, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Online or not, that’s how creatives go from good to great.

The post 5 Creative Communities That Can Help You Level Up Your Skills appeared first on Personal Branding Blog – Stand Out In Your Career.

from WordPress https://glenmenlow.wordpress.com/2019/10/02/5-creative-communities-that-can-help-you-level-up-your-skills/ via IFTTT

[caveartfair]

Alia Shawkat on How Art Helps Her Recharge from Acting

At the age of nine, Alia Shawkat began acting in earnest. Early on, she appeared in Barbie commercials, landed a small role in a David O. Russell film, and, in 2003, made her debut as the devious ingenue Maeby Fünke on Arrested Development. The critically acclaimed sitcom would carry her freckled face into the living rooms of millions of Americans for the next three years.

Since then, Shawkat’s become an esteemed staple of indie films and TV alike. Now 28, she currently stars as the misguided millennial crime-solver Dory Sief in the noirish comedy series Search Party, which returns for a second season this November. Shawkat also recently appeared as a seductive pre-school teacher in the fourth season of Transparent and co-wrote and acted in the forthcoming film Duck Butter, and in 2018, she’ll return as Maeby on the fifth season of Arrested Development. Despite this busy schedule—and in addition to moonlighting as a jazz singer—Shawkat has developed a serious art practice.

Work by Alia Shawkat. Photo by Emily Berl for Artsy.

It started in New York around a decade ago. “I’d gotten into Sarah Lawrence and I left after three days,” she tells me over the phone from Los Angeles. “Nothing against the school—it’s beautiful—it just wasn’t for me.” Pressed to choose between freshman year at the liberal arts college and a role in an independent film, she opted for the latter. “I kind of got my own education, though,” she reasons. “And then I didn’t act for a year. I started painting.”

Her boyfriend at the time gave her a space to work in his parents’ basement. “I started with a big canvas and a bunch of scrap paper. I didn’t really know anything about my style,” Shawkat recalls. Growing up, she’d filled notebooks and diaries with drawings and doodles, but she never formally pursued art.

But that first painting soon lead to many others. “That’s when I got more into visual arts and found the artists I liked,” she remembers of that time in New York. “I would get dressed up and go to museums by myself every day.” These days, she’s gravitating towards the figurative works of R.B. Kitaj—“I’m definitely the most inspired by him right now, his colors and placement of a mix of cartoonish characters and realistic images”—and George Grosz—“he’s one of my favorites, these amazing line drawings.”

Work by Alia Shawkat. Courtesy of the artist.

Shawkat’s own work skews toward drawings and paintings, in a raw, at times scrawled aesthetic, picturing people and bustling patchworks of color and texture. A drawing she posted on Instagram a few weeks back was a gut reaction to President Trump’s move to end DACA—a feverish, dreamlike scenario of a young man putting out a fire, while his thoughts and his vision are consumed by money.

“I think that any kind of art is naturally responding to what’s going on,” Shawkat notes. “I’ve been feeling kind of frustrated and a little helpless lately, and I think a lot of artists are. Art is very important in these times, but sometimes it’s hard to know that when you think you should be flying to Houston and helping people,” she adds (we’re speaking just after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston). Those frustrations have come through in her art recently, she admits: “My work has definitely been a little more angry— there’s more of a scratchy feeling, like I’m taking it out.”

As far as her process overall, Shawkat tends to be spirited and spontaneous. “I’m not a very organized artist,” she says. “I like to have a lot of materials and different colors and textures to pull from. I just look around and see what works in the moment. I don’t usually pick one medium in a piece”—though she’s particularly fond of oil pastels.

Work by Alia Shawkat. Photo by Emily Berl for Artsy.

“I take a lot of bad photos on my phone and then I go home and mix them together. There’s something about little angles I see on the street, and the way people look when they’re walking. I’ll do a quick sketch version of them and add them into a big montage.”

A series of drawings of Donald Trump she made years ago have also surfaced recently. “Weirdly, I did those before he was in any way political. He was just a character,” she notes. “I never understood where he was coming from.” In one, Trump’s tie is dragging on the floor, in another, he has large, sagging breasts. “Now, I don’t feel like drawing him at all,” she continues. “Maybe I’ll go back to that though. I’ve always wanted to do political cartoons, like Ralph Steadman, but I always end up doing more abstract stuff. I’d like to do some version of abstract cartoons.”

Her current practice, which is primarily focused on mixed media drawings and paintings, has since become a complement to acting—not only an adjacent creative endeavor, but a therapeutic passion to dedicate her time to off-camera.

Alia Shawkat, Face Bandage. Courtesy of the artist.

“When you’re acting, you’re literally using a lot of emotions,” she says, and adds that to be able to access those emotions quickly is taxing. “You’re interacting with people on the crew, you’re aware of yourself more than you should be in your real life, you’re in this state where you’re pushing out energy, feeding off of people, being reactive, talking about ideas, and being very physical.”

Shawkat acknowledges that she’s been lucky to have done so much acting this year, but that the work leaves something to be desired. “After a while I always just crave something different, because I don’t really have anything else to pull from,” she notes. “You don’t have a normal life between gigs sometimes, so that’s a lot of what drawing is for me.

“It’s a way to reflect on what’s been happening,” she continues. “There was a period of time where I was going out a lot in L.A., going to a lot of parties. Then I kind of stopped and started working again on drawing. All of my drawings were of characters in these packed rooms; there were people everywhere, the walls were always closing in on somebody. [My work] is always an expression of what I’ve been feeling.”

Work by Alia Shawkat. Photo by Emily Berl for Artsy.

Shifting gears into making art, though, isn’t always easy. “It takes me a while to just sit down and actually do it, to get back into the rhythm,” she says. “It’s like going to the gym. Nobody wants to do it, and then every time you go, you think, ‘I feel amazing, I should be doing that every day.’ But every day it still takes a little bit of effort to go, even though you know you’re going to feel good.”

This fall, as she’s shooting for Arrested Development in L.A., she’s making her art a priority. “I signed a lease on a studio to just be able to work while I’m actually here, to focus on it,” she explains, noting that the show has her occupied on and off, a couple days per week. “I need to have a routine, of going to a place every day, so I can try to make as much work as possible, before I have to leave town again.”

During this time, she hopes to produce work for a potential future exhibition. Over the years, she’s shown her work at a handful of galleries, like Known Gallery and Dilettante Gallery in L.A. Last year she worked with Dilettante to publish a book of her drawings, and had a book release party at L.A. restaurant Kitchen Mouse. While admitting that she’s “just not very organized,” Shawkat does have ambitions to pursue her art practice in earnest; she’s particularly fond of the potential for a proper solo exhibition at a New York gallery.

Alia Shawkat, Gangster. Courtesy of the artist.

Until then, you can see her latest work on Instagram. She refrains from posting many personal photos on the site, but admits that it’s “the most successful way people see your drawings quickly.” She’s used the app as a platform within her practice, to display and disseminate works that feel urgent. “When the whole DACA thing was happening, I was able to sit down and draw, and it felt nice to have a response. I could make a small piece quickly and post it and then work on something bigger throughout the day that maybe one day would be in a show.”

That Instagram account and her artist website (where she’s selling drawings and paintings on the range of $100 to $1,200) both use the name Mutant Alia, which has become something of an alter-ego or persona Shawkat uses, inspired by a graffiti tag she saw years ago. “It just said ‘Mutant’ and I really responded to the word. I even have a tattoo of it,” she explains. “My friend said if you add an ‘e’ to it, it’s ‘mutante,’ and in Portuguese that means ever-changing.

“It definitely doesn’t have anything to do with ‘X-Men,’” she adds, deadpan. “But I like the idea of being something that’s always mutating, morphing.”

—Casey Lesser

from Artsy News

[savetopnow]

2018-03-09 00 SEO now

SEO

Ahrefs Blog

Technical SEO Mastery: Lessons from the GOAT, Wikipedia

Here’s why you can’t blindly trust keyword search volume for traffic estimations

7 Timeless Internet Marketing Strategies That Work in 2018 (and Beyond)

How to Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag (Our 4-Step Process)

12 Best Podcasts to Master SEO and Stay Tuned

ClickZ

6 takeaways from the ClickZ Blockchain Marketing Forum

Selecting the right Customer Data Platform

Interview: How KOMPAS is using AI to improve city exploration

New Blockchain MarTech Landscape shows 400% growth in 6 months

How brands are leveraging the cryptocurrency hype

Local SEO guide

Who Is Next In Local Listings Management?

A NodeJS Script for Accessing the Google Search Console API

Why SEOs Will Always Have Jobs…

Are Local Businesses Ready For GÖÖber?

2018 Tax Planning for SEO Agencies & Consultants

Moz

The Website Migration Guide: SEO Strategy, Process, & Checklist

Declining Organic Traffic? How to Tell if it’s a Tracking or Optimization Issue

The #1 Reason Paid Ads (On Search, Social, and Display) Fail - Whiteboard Friday

How to Diagnose SEO Traffic Drops: 11 Questions to Answer

Google's Walled Garden: Are We Being Pushed Out of Our Own Digital Backyards?

Reddit SEO

Vision-impaired internet users, do you ever get annoyed with SEO optimized image alt attributes?

Citation Services - Advicelocal vs. Moz Local vs. BrightLocal vs. Yext vs. Whitespark vs. Synup

"Top 10 best" or "10 best"?

How can I collect all of my competitor's client's e-mail address?

what is the best way to find the clients competitors?

SEO Book Blog

Left is Right & Up is Down

Grist for the Machine

Virtual Real Estate

Rank Checker Update

DMOZ Shut Down

SEO by the Sea

Related Questions are Joined by ‘People Also Search For’ Refinements; Now Using a Question Graph

Google’s Mobile Location History

Does Google Use Latent Semantic Indexing?

Google Targeted Advertising, Part 1

Google Giving Less Weight to Reviews of Places You Stop Visiting?

Search Engine Journal

The Fifth AdWords Match Type: Phrase Match Modifier by @iansherk

The Role of AI and Automation in Paid Search [PODCAST]

Google: How to Get New Content Indexed Fast by @martinibuster

Top 7 Ranking Signals: What REALLY Matters in 2018? by @annaleacrowe

Hreflang Implementation: The 8 Biggest Misconceptions

Search Engine Land

Google Lens comes to Android devices through the side door — Google Photos

SearchCap: Google AMP render on idle, spidering & Google doodle

International Women’s Day Google doodle honoring females around the world arrives a day early

Google AMP team launches ‘Render on Idle’ to load ads faster when browsers sit idle

The ultimate guide to bot herding and spider wrangling

Search Engine Roundtable

Search Community Is Heart Broken Over Matt Cutts Wife Passing Away

Google: Content Publishing Frequency Not A Ranking Signal

Google My Business Has Updated Local Photos Help Article

Three Index Count Metrics Explained In Google SEO Snippets Video

Kevin Indig - The Search Community Honors You

Search Engine Watch

The 2018 guide to B2B sales, Part 3: Using CRM data for lasting benefits

A forward-looking history of link building

Ranker: How to make a Google algorithm-proof website

How Progressive Web Apps could rule mobile ecommerce in 2018

ClickZ Buyers Guide | Bid management platform review: Acquisio

Searchmetrics Blog

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How to Conduct a Content Audit in Five Easy Steps

Pulse: Challenges and Takeaways from the Google AMP Conference

Unwrapping the Secrets of SEO: Hey Google, Siri and Alexa, Who’s the Smartest Speaker in the Land?

SEO World Rankings 2018 – The Top Global Domains and Big Winners

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How Long Does Content Marketing Take – And Why That’s The Wrong Question

Yoast

Yoast Diversity Fund

Let’s celebrate International Women’s Day!

The journey towards Yoast SEO 7.0

Which pages should I noindex or nofollow?

Yoast SEO 7.0: Making SEO easier for everyone

[savetopnow]

2018-03-08 21 SEO now

SEO

Ahrefs Blog

Technical SEO Mastery: Lessons from the GOAT, Wikipedia

Here’s why you can’t blindly trust keyword search volume for traffic estimations

7 Timeless Internet Marketing Strategies That Work in 2018 (and Beyond)

How to Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag (Our 4-Step Process)

12 Best Podcasts to Master SEO and Stay Tuned

ClickZ

6 takeaways from the ClickZ Blockchain Marketing Forum

Selecting the right Customer Data Platform

Interview: How KOMPAS is using AI to improve city exploration

New Blockchain MarTech Landscape shows 400% growth in 6 months

How brands are leveraging the cryptocurrency hype

Local SEO guide

Who Is Next In Local Listings Management?

A NodeJS Script for Accessing the Google Search Console API

Why SEOs Will Always Have Jobs…

Are Local Businesses Ready For GÖÖber?

2018 Tax Planning for SEO Agencies & Consultants

Moz

The Website Migration Guide: SEO Strategy, Process, & Checklist

Declining Organic Traffic? How to Tell if it’s a Tracking or Optimization Issue

The #1 Reason Paid Ads (On Search, Social, and Display) Fail - Whiteboard Friday

How to Diagnose SEO Traffic Drops: 11 Questions to Answer

Google's Walled Garden: Are We Being Pushed Out of Our Own Digital Backyards?

Reddit SEO

How can I collect all of my competitor's client's e-mail address?

what is the best way to find the clients competitors?

Is Directory submission spamming?

What is the best seo link building strategy of 2018?

Any point in starting to learn this as a 17 year old in the UK?

SEO Book Blog

Left is Right & Up is Down

Grist for the Machine

Virtual Real Estate

Rank Checker Update

DMOZ Shut Down

SEO by the Sea

Related Questions are Joined by ‘People Also Search For’ Refinements; Now Using a Question Graph

Google’s Mobile Location History

Does Google Use Latent Semantic Indexing?

Google Targeted Advertising, Part 1

Google Giving Less Weight to Reviews of Places You Stop Visiting?

Search Engine Journal

Google: How to Get New Content Indexed Fast by @martinibuster

Top 7 Ranking Signals: What REALLY Matters in 2018? by @annaleacrowe

Hreflang Implementation: The 8 Biggest Misconceptions

Which Project Management Tool Is Best for SEO? [POLL] by @A_Ninofranco

SEO Company Conductor Acquired by WeWork by @MattGSouthern

Search Engine Land

SearchCap: Google AMP render on idle, spidering & Google doodle

International Women’s Day Google doodle honoring females around the world arrives a day early

Google AMP team launches ‘Render on Idle’ to load ads faster when browsers sit idle

The ultimate guide to bot herding and spider wrangling

SearchCap: Bing JSON-LD, Google Search app & Gboard update

Search Engine Roundtable

Daily Search Forum Recap: March 7, 2018

Google: Moving Your Server To A New Country Generally Won't Set The Geotarget

Bing Now Supports JSON-LD For Schema

Google's Gary Illyes Says He Is No Longer Checking Twitter

Google Image Search Product Schema Shows New Product Filter

Search Engine Watch

The 2018 guide to B2B sales, Part 3: Using CRM data for lasting benefits

A forward-looking history of link building

Ranker: How to make a Google algorithm-proof website

How Progressive Web Apps could rule mobile ecommerce in 2018

ClickZ Buyers Guide | Bid management platform review: Acquisio

Searchmetrics Blog

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How to Conduct a Content Audit in Five Easy Steps

Pulse: Challenges and Takeaways from the Google AMP Conference

Unwrapping the Secrets of SEO: Hey Google, Siri and Alexa, Who’s the Smartest Speaker in the Land?

SEO World Rankings 2018 – The Top Global Domains and Big Winners

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How Long Does Content Marketing Take – And Why That’s The Wrong Question

Yoast

Let’s celebrate International Women’s Day!

The journey towards Yoast SEO 7.0

Which pages should I noindex or nofollow?

Yoast SEO 7.0: Making SEO easier for everyone

Yoast SEO: don’t just set it and forget it!

[savetopnow]

2018-03-08 18 SEO now

SEO

Ahrefs Blog

Technical SEO Mastery: Lessons from the GOAT, Wikipedia

Here’s why you can’t blindly trust keyword search volume for traffic estimations

7 Timeless Internet Marketing Strategies That Work in 2018 (and Beyond)

How to Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag (Our 4-Step Process)

12 Best Podcasts to Master SEO and Stay Tuned

ClickZ

6 takeaways from the ClickZ Blockchain Marketing Forum

Selecting the right Customer Data Platform

Interview: How KOMPAS is using AI to improve city exploration

New Blockchain MarTech Landscape shows 400% growth in 6 months

How brands are leveraging the cryptocurrency hype

Local SEO guide

Who Is Next In Local Listings Management?

A NodeJS Script for Accessing the Google Search Console API

Why SEOs Will Always Have Jobs…

Are Local Businesses Ready For GÖÖber?

2018 Tax Planning for SEO Agencies & Consultants

Moz

The Website Migration Guide: SEO Strategy, Process, & Checklist

Declining Organic Traffic? How to Tell if it’s a Tracking or Optimization Issue

The #1 Reason Paid Ads (On Search, Social, and Display) Fail - Whiteboard Friday

How to Diagnose SEO Traffic Drops: 11 Questions to Answer

Google's Walled Garden: Are We Being Pushed Out of Our Own Digital Backyards?

Reddit SEO

I think all of my link building strategy is not working, Please mention some excellent link building strategy!

What impact does reducing text have on a websites rankings?

Domain when searched with spaces not appearing in Google

Help with Yoast SEO plugin

What's the secrets to be listed on Google News?

SEO Book Blog

Left is Right & Up is Down

Grist for the Machine

Virtual Real Estate

Rank Checker Update

DMOZ Shut Down

SEO by the Sea

Related Questions are Joined by ‘People Also Search For’ Refinements; Now Using a Question Graph

Google’s Mobile Location History

Does Google Use Latent Semantic Indexing?

Google Targeted Advertising, Part 1

Google Giving Less Weight to Reviews of Places You Stop Visiting?

Search Engine Journal

Google: How to Get New Content Indexed Fast by @martinibuster

Top 7 Ranking Signals: What REALLY Matters in 2018? by @annaleacrowe

Hreflang Implementation: The 8 Biggest Misconceptions

Which Project Management Tool Is Best for SEO? [POLL] by @A_Ninofranco

SEO Company Conductor Acquired by WeWork by @MattGSouthern

Search Engine Land

SearchCap: Google AMP render on idle, spidering & Google doodle

International Women’s Day Google doodle honoring females around the world arrives a day early

Google AMP team launches ‘Render on Idle’ to load ads faster when browsers sit idle

The ultimate guide to bot herding and spider wrangling

SearchCap: Bing JSON-LD, Google Search app & Gboard update

Search Engine Roundtable

Daily Search Forum Recap: March 7, 2018

Google: Moving Your Server To A New Country Generally Won't Set The Geotarget

Bing Now Supports JSON-LD For Schema

Google's Gary Illyes Says He Is No Longer Checking Twitter

Google Image Search Product Schema Shows New Product Filter

Search Engine Watch

The 2018 guide to B2B sales, Part 3: Using CRM data for lasting benefits

A forward-looking history of link building

Ranker: How to make a Google algorithm-proof website

How Progressive Web Apps could rule mobile ecommerce in 2018

ClickZ Buyers Guide | Bid management platform review: Acquisio

Searchmetrics Blog

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How to Conduct a Content Audit in Five Easy Steps

Pulse: Challenges and Takeaways from the Google AMP Conference

Unwrapping the Secrets of SEO: Hey Google, Siri and Alexa, Who’s the Smartest Speaker in the Land?

SEO World Rankings 2018 – The Top Global Domains and Big Winners

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How Long Does Content Marketing Take – And Why That’s The Wrong Question

Yoast

Let’s celebrate International Women’s Day!

The journey towards Yoast SEO 7.0

Which pages should I noindex or nofollow?

Yoast SEO 7.0: Making SEO easier for everyone

Yoast SEO: don’t just set it and forget it!

[savetopnow]

2018-03-08 15 SEO now

SEO

Ahrefs Blog

Here’s why you can’t blindly trust keyword search volume for traffic estimations

7 Timeless Internet Marketing Strategies That Work in 2018 (and Beyond)

How to Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag (Our 4-Step Process)

12 Best Podcasts to Master SEO and Stay Tuned

65+ Best Free Chrome Extensions for SEOs (As Voted-for by the SEO Community)

ClickZ

6 takeaways from the ClickZ Blockchain Marketing Forum

Selecting the right Customer Data Platform

Interview: How KOMPAS is using AI to improve city exploration

New Blockchain MarTech Landscape shows 400% growth in 6 months

How brands are leveraging the cryptocurrency hype

Local SEO guide

Who Is Next In Local Listings Management?

A NodeJS Script for Accessing the Google Search Console API

Why SEOs Will Always Have Jobs…

Are Local Businesses Ready For GÖÖber?

2018 Tax Planning for SEO Agencies & Consultants

Moz

The Website Migration Guide: SEO Strategy, Process, & Checklist

Declining Organic Traffic? How to Tell if it’s a Tracking or Optimization Issue

The #1 Reason Paid Ads (On Search, Social, and Display) Fail - Whiteboard Friday

How to Diagnose SEO Traffic Drops: 11 Questions to Answer

Google's Walled Garden: Are We Being Pushed Out of Our Own Digital Backyards?

Reddit SEO

Help with Yoast SEO plugin

What's the secrets to be listed on Google News?

Are these 3 domains valuable from an SEO standpoint? From a general standpoint?

moving from long tail to general

Silly question - Do visits to my website move it closer to first page in Google Search?

SEO Book Blog

Left is Right & Up is Down

Grist for the Machine

Virtual Real Estate

Rank Checker Update

DMOZ Shut Down

SEO by the Sea

Related Questions are Joined by ‘People Also Search For’ Refinements; Now Using a Question Graph

Google’s Mobile Location History

Does Google Use Latent Semantic Indexing?

Google Targeted Advertising, Part 1

Google Giving Less Weight to Reviews of Places You Stop Visiting?

Search Engine Journal

Google: How to Get New Content Indexed Fast by @martinibuster

Top 7 Ranking Signals: What REALLY Matters in 2018? by @annaleacrowe

Hreflang Implementation: The 8 Biggest Misconceptions

Which Project Management Tool Is Best for SEO? [POLL] by @A_Ninofranco

SEO Company Conductor Acquired by WeWork by @MattGSouthern

Search Engine Land

SearchCap: Google AMP render on idle, spidering & Google doodle

International Women’s Day Google doodle honoring females around the world arrives a day early

Google AMP team launches ‘Render on Idle’ to load ads faster when browsers sit idle

The ultimate guide to bot herding and spider wrangling

SearchCap: Bing JSON-LD, Google Search app & Gboard update

Search Engine Roundtable

Daily Search Forum Recap: March 7, 2018

Google: Moving Your Server To A New Country Generally Won't Set The Geotarget

Bing Now Supports JSON-LD For Schema

Google's Gary Illyes Says He Is No Longer Checking Twitter

Google Image Search Product Schema Shows New Product Filter

Search Engine Watch

The 2018 guide to B2B sales, Part 3: Using CRM data for lasting benefits

A forward-looking history of link building

Ranker: How to make a Google algorithm-proof website

How Progressive Web Apps could rule mobile ecommerce in 2018

ClickZ Buyers Guide | Bid management platform review: Acquisio

Searchmetrics Blog

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How to Conduct a Content Audit in Five Easy Steps

Pulse: Challenges and Takeaways from the Google AMP Conference

Unwrapping the Secrets of SEO: Hey Google, Siri and Alexa, Who’s the Smartest Speaker in the Land?

SEO World Rankings 2018 – The Top Global Domains and Big Winners

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How Long Does Content Marketing Take – And Why That’s The Wrong Question

Yoast

The journey towards Yoast SEO 7.0

Which pages should I noindex or nofollow?

Yoast SEO 7.0: Making SEO easier for everyone

Yoast SEO: don’t just set it and forget it!

Ask Yoast: Using your keyword in the alt text box

[savetopnow]

2018-03-08 12 SEO now

SEO

Ahrefs Blog

Here’s why you can’t blindly trust keyword search volume for traffic estimations

7 Timeless Internet Marketing Strategies That Work in 2018 (and Beyond)

How to Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag (Our 4-Step Process)

12 Best Podcasts to Master SEO and Stay Tuned

65+ Best Free Chrome Extensions for SEOs (As Voted-for by the SEO Community)

ClickZ

6 takeaways from the ClickZ Blockchain Marketing Forum

Selecting the right Customer Data Platform

Interview: How KOMPAS is using AI to improve city exploration

New Blockchain MarTech Landscape shows 400% growth in 6 months

How brands are leveraging the cryptocurrency hype

Local SEO guide

Who Is Next In Local Listings Management?

A NodeJS Script for Accessing the Google Search Console API

Why SEOs Will Always Have Jobs…

Are Local Businesses Ready For GÖÖber?

2018 Tax Planning for SEO Agencies & Consultants

Moz

The Website Migration Guide: SEO Strategy, Process, & Checklist

Declining Organic Traffic? How to Tell if it’s a Tracking or Optimization Issue

The #1 Reason Paid Ads (On Search, Social, and Display) Fail - Whiteboard Friday

How to Diagnose SEO Traffic Drops: 11 Questions to Answer

Google's Walled Garden: Are We Being Pushed Out of Our Own Digital Backyards?

Reddit SEO

Are these 3 domains valuable from an SEO standpoint? From a general standpoint?

moving from long tail to general

Silly question - Do visits to my website move it closer to first page in Google Search?

Official PageRank Tool for Google

Altering name of domain in order to get a .com?

SEO Book Blog

Left is Right & Up is Down

Grist for the Machine

Virtual Real Estate

Rank Checker Update

DMOZ Shut Down

SEO by the Sea

Related Questions are Joined by ‘People Also Search For’ Refinements; Now Using a Question Graph

Google’s Mobile Location History

Does Google Use Latent Semantic Indexing?

Google Targeted Advertising, Part 1

Google Giving Less Weight to Reviews of Places You Stop Visiting?

Search Engine Journal

Google: How to Get New Content Indexed Fast by @martinibuster

Top 7 Ranking Signals: What REALLY Matters in 2018? by @annaleacrowe

Hreflang Implementation: The 8 Biggest Misconceptions

Which Project Management Tool Is Best for SEO? [POLL] by @A_Ninofranco

SEO Company Conductor Acquired by WeWork by @MattGSouthern

Search Engine Land

SearchCap: Google AMP render on idle, spidering & Google doodle

International Women’s Day Google doodle honoring females around the world arrives a day early

Google AMP team launches ‘Render on Idle’ to load ads faster when browsers sit idle

The ultimate guide to bot herding and spider wrangling

SearchCap: Bing JSON-LD, Google Search app & Gboard update

Search Engine Roundtable

Daily Search Forum Recap: March 7, 2018

Google: Moving Your Server To A New Country Generally Won't Set The Geotarget

Bing Now Supports JSON-LD For Schema

Google's Gary Illyes Says He Is No Longer Checking Twitter

Google Image Search Product Schema Shows New Product Filter

Search Engine Watch

The 2018 guide to B2B sales, Part 3: Using CRM data for lasting benefits

A forward-looking history of link building

Ranker: How to make a Google algorithm-proof website

How Progressive Web Apps could rule mobile ecommerce in 2018

ClickZ Buyers Guide | Bid management platform review: Acquisio

Searchmetrics Blog

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How to Conduct a Content Audit in Five Easy Steps

Pulse: Challenges and Takeaways from the Google AMP Conference

Unwrapping the Secrets of SEO: Hey Google, Siri and Alexa, Who’s the Smartest Speaker in the Land?

SEO World Rankings 2018 – The Top Global Domains and Big Winners

Memo to the Modern Marketer: How Long Does Content Marketing Take – And Why That’s The Wrong Question

Yoast

The journey towards Yoast SEO 7.0

Which pages should I noindex or nofollow?

Yoast SEO 7.0: Making SEO easier for everyone

Yoast SEO: don’t just set it and forget it!

Ask Yoast: Using your keyword in the alt text box